11 simple, science-backed ways to boost happiness

EVERYONE has different ideas about happiness, what it is and how to get it.

I'd love to be happier, as I'm sure most people would, so I've found 11 ways to achieve this that are actually backed by science.

1. EXERCISE FOR 7 MINUTES

You might have seen some talk recently about the scientific 7 minute workout mentioned in The New York Times. So if you thought exercise was something you didn't have time for, think again.

In a study cited in Shawn Achor's book The Happiness Advantage three groups of patients treated their depression with either medication, exercise or a combination of both.

While all three groups experienced similar improvements in their happiness levels to begin with, the results after six months were radically different.

38 per cent of those who had taken medication alone had slipped back into depression. Those in the combination group were doing only slightly better, with 31 per cent relapsing. Only 9 per cent of the exercise group relapsed.

A study in the Journal of Health Psychology found that people who exercised felt better about their bodies, even when they saw no physical changes.

2. SLEEP MORE TO AVOID NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

We know that sleep helps our body recover and repair, helping us focus and be more productive. But it's also important for our happiness.

An article in NutureShock explains how sleep affects our positivity. Negative stimuli get processed by the amygdala; positive or neutral memories gets processed by the hippocampus. Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala. The result is that sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories, yet recall gloomy memories just fine.

A study in The BPS Research Digest proves sleep affects our sensitivity to negative emotions.

Commutes are even worse when you have to stand the whole way. Picture: Thinkstock.Source:News Limited

3. MOVE CLOSE TO WORK - IT'S WORTH IT

Most of us commute to work five days a week so it's unsurprising that it would take a toll.

"People never get accustomed to their daily slog to work because sometimes the traffic is awful and sometimes it's not."

Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert says "driving in traffic is a different kind of hell every day".

We tend to try to compensate for this by having a bigger house or a better job, but two Swiss economists who studied the effect of commuting on happiness found that such factors could not offset the misery created by a long commute.

4. SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY - OR REGRET IT

Staying in touch with friends and family is one of the top five regrets of the dying.

Social time is so valuable, even for introverts.

"We are happy when we have family, we are happy when we have friends and almost all the other things we think make us happy are actually just ways of getting more family and friends," says Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert.

George Vaillant, the director of a 72-year study of the lives of 268 men, says he's learnt that the "only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people".

He told The Atlantic the men's relationships, at age 47, predicted late-life adjustment better than any other variable, except defences.

Good sibling relationships seem especially powerful: 93 per cent of the men who were thriving at age 65 had been close to a brother or sister when younger.

A study found that spending 20 minutes outside in good weather not only boosted positive mood, but broadened thinking and improved working memory.

A UK study found that being outdoors, near the sea, on a warm, sunny afternoon was the perfect spot for most. In fact, participants were found to be substantially happier outdoors in all natural environments than they were in urban environments.

The American Meteorological Society published research in 2011 that found current temperature has a bigger effect on our happiness than variables like wind speed and humidity, or even the average temperature over the course of a day.

It also found that happiness is maximised at 13.9°C, so keep an eye on the weather forecast before heading outside for your 20 minutes of fresh air.

6. SPLASH CASH, BUT NOT ON STUFF

Spending also makes a difference, but not in the way you might expect.

Research into the spending habits of more than 150 people found that money spent on activities - such as concerts and dining out - brought far more pleasure than material purchases.

Spending money on others, called "prosocial spending", also boosts happiness.

Research by the The Journal of Happiness Studies also found participants who bought something for someone else reported feeling significantly happier immediately after this recollection. The happier participants felt, the more likely they were to choose to spend a windfall on someone else in the near future.

Being generous with our time has a similar effect.

A study of volunteering in Germany explored how volunteers were affected when their opportunities to help others were taken away and found that volunteering creates higher life satisfaction.

In his book Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman explains that helping others can improve our own lives.

"We scientists have found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested," he said.

In fact, 100 hours per year (or two hours per week) is the optimal time we should dedicate to helping others in order to enrich our lives.

Is this smile big enough? Picture: Thinkstock.Source:Supplied

7. PRACTICE SMILING - IT CAN ALLEVIATE PAIN

Smiling itself can make us feel better, but it's more effective when we back it up with positive thoughts.

A new study led by a Michigan State University business scholar suggests customer-service workers who fake smile throughout the day worsen their mood and withdraw from work, affecting productivity. But workers who smile as a result of cultivating positive thoughts - such as a tropical vacation or their child's ballet performance - improve their mood and withdraw less.

Smiling makes us feel good which also increases our attentional flexibility and our ability to think holistically.

A smile is also a good way to alleviate some of the pain we feel in troubling circumstances.

8. PLAN A TRIP - BUT DON'T TAKE ONE

As opposed to actually taking a holiday, it seems that planning a vacation or just a break from work can improve our happiness.

A study in Applied Research in Quality of Life showed that the highest spike in happiness came during the planning stage of a vacation as employees enjoyed the sense of anticipation:

It found the effect of vacation anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks but after the vacation, happiness quickly dropped back to baseline levels for most people.

Holiday selfie. Picture: Thinkstock.Source:News Limited

9. MEDITATE - REWIRE YOUR BRAIN FOR HAPPINESS

Meditation is often touted as an important habit for improving focus, clarity and attention span, as well as helping to keep you calm. But it also boosts happiness.

A study at Massachusetts General Hospital found, after subjecting 16 participants to an eight-week course in mindfulness meditation, that parts of the participants' brains associated with compassion and self-awareness grew while parts associated with stress shrank.

Studies also show that in the minutes right after meditating, we experience feelings of calm and contentment, as well as heightened awareness and empathy. And, research even shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness.

10. PRACTICE GRATITUDE - AND INCREASE LIFE SATISFACTION

In an experiment where some participants took note of things they were grateful for each day, their moods were improved just from this simple practice.

The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the three studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.

Participants included 219 men and women who wrote three letters of gratitude over a three-week period. Results indicated that writing letters of gratitude increased participants' happiness and life satisfaction, while decreasing depressive symptoms.

Work life balance. Picture: Thinkstock.Source:News Limited

11. GETTING OLDER MAKES YOU HAPPIER

As a final point, it's interesting to note that as we get older, particularly past middle age, we tend to grow happier. There's still some debate over why this happens, but scientists have got a few ideas.

Researchers have found that older people shown pictures of faces or situations tend to focus on and remember the happier ones more and the negative ones less.

Other studies have discovered that as people age, they seek out situations that will lift their moods - for instance, pruning social circles of friends or acquaintances who might bring them down. Still other work finds that older adults learn to let go of loss and disappointment over unachieved goals, and hew their goals toward greater well-being.

So if you thought being old would make you miserable, rest assured that it's likely you'll develop a more positive outlook than you probably have now.

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